Overview

Zoho Mail is hosted email for businesses that want mailboxes on a custom domain, with administrative controls for managing a team. It is a strong fit for small organisations that can work within the free plan’s limits or teams that need more storage and security controls on paid tiers. Its main trade-off is that the free plan excludes common mail-sync protocols.

Key features

Mail and migration

The mobile app combines email with calendar, contacts and files, making it useful for people who want those tools together on a phone. Zia can draft replies and summarise long threads, and Zoho Mail MCP connects the service to AI apps; these capabilities supplement the core hosted-mail offering rather than changing its focus. CRM integrations include Zoho CRM, HubSpot, Pipedrive and Insightly CRM.

A free migration tool transfers email, contacts and calendars from Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or IMAP providers. That lowers the work involved in switching from those services. Desktop Mail Lite apps support Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, and specified 64-bit Linux distributions.

Security and administration

Zoho Mail lists TLS, S/MIME and AES-256 encryption at rest, along with spam and phishing blockers aimed at socially engineered attacks. Role-based access, custom security policies, audit logs and eDiscovery give administrators useful tools for controlling and reviewing business email. Zoho says the service is GDPR compliant and holds ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications. Paid plans include 24×7 support by email, phone and live chat, and the pricing comparison gives its plans a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

Pricing

Mail Free costs $0.00 per free, is free forever and requires no credit card. It allows five users on one domain, with 5 GB of mail storage per user, but excludes IMAP, POP and Active Sync. That makes it a practical starting point for a small team that uses Zoho Mail directly, not for one that depends on those protocols to connect other clients or devices.

Mail Lite costs $1.00 per month per user billed annually for 5 GB per user, or $1.25 per month per user billed annually for 10 GB. There is no monthly plan. Both versions include a 250 MB huge-attachment limit. The separate Mail Lite listing gives a $1.00 per year annual price and describes 5 GB or 10 GB storage with a 30 MB attachment limit. These are distinct listed offer details, so buyers should confirm which Mail Lite configuration they are choosing rather than assume the attachment allowance is the same.

Mail Premium is $4.00 per month per user billed annually, with 50 GB mail storage, 50 GB retention storage per user and a 1 GB huge-attachment limit. It is the more suitable mail-only tier for teams with larger mailboxes, retention needs or large attachments.

Workplace Standard costs $3.00 per user per month billed annually, or US$4 per user/month billed monthly. It includes Mail and other Workplace apps, 30 GB mail storage per user and 100 GB team file storage for 3–10 users. Workplace Professional costs $6.00 per user per month billed annually, or US$7 per user/month billed monthly; it raises mail storage to 100 GB, adds 100 GB retention storage per user and provides 1 TB team file storage for 3–10 users. Standard suits teams needing the broader app bundle without the Professional storage allowances; Professional is for those who need the higher caps. Workplace Enterprise has custom pricing and custom limits. Virtual private cloud applies only above 100,000 users, and pooled Mail storage only above 1,000 users.

The service also offers a 15-day trial. The general attachment limit is 30 MB, while certain paid tiers advertise larger huge-attachment limits. Mail Lite and Workplace plans have no monthly plan where noted; Workplace Standard and Professional do give monthly-billing prices.

Platforms

Zoho Mail is available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, the web and Windows. Native mobile apps are available for iOS and Android. Users who need desktop apps should note the stated operating-system requirements for Mail Desktop Lite.

Who it's for

Zoho Mail suits businesses that need custom-domain email, team administration and a migration path from Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or IMAP. The free tier can work for up to five users who do not require IMAP, POP or Active Sync. Teams needing those protocols, more storage or paid-plan support should compare the paid tiers against their mailbox and collaboration needs.

Pros and cons

Useful free entry point: five users and one domain with 5 GB per user can cover a small team, but protocol exclusions limit how it connects to other clients and devices.
Migration help for common sources: the free tool transfers email, contacts and calendars from Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or IMAP providers.
Meaningful admin controls: role-based access, security policies, audit logs and eDiscovery support organisations that need oversight, though larger-scale options have user thresholds.
Several storage choices: paid mail plans range from 5 GB to 50 GB per user, with retention storage on Premium and Workplace Professional; annual-only billing on several tiers is less flexible.

Alternatives

For migration-focused choices, compare Email Migration Software. MailJerry has a free plan with unlimited mailboxes, but caps each at 150 MB and limits the free tier to three simultaneous migrations and one device. SysTools Email Migration Tool offers a free demo for up to two user accounts and a paid version priced at $35 (5 User) with unlimited user count. CloudM Migrate is another migration option, with some work priced per 10GB by quote. imapsync is a freemium migration alternative with a software-only plan at 72.00 EUR per once. Cloudiway Mailbox Migration Tool charges $570 for 50 migration licenses on its Standard plan. MigrationWiz offers a $14.00 per once Mailbox plan per user, covering up to 50 GB. VaultMe Email Migration Tool charges $12.99 per EDU account migration, plus $0.20 per GB and $0.20 per 1,000 items migrated.

If you want a broader suite rather than business email alone, Google Workspace is a paid alternative with a Business Starter plan priced at 3.50 USD per month per user on annual commitment during its promotional period. Readers choosing an email client rather than hosted business email can compare Email clients; for personal rather than business email, see Personal Email Services.

Verdict

Choose Zoho Mail if your business needs custom-domain email with team controls, a free migration route and paid plans that scale storage. Look elsewhere if you need IMAP, POP or Active Sync on a no-cost plan, or if annual billing on the relevant tier does not suit your budget.

	Shortwave	Zoho Mail
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$30/mo	$0.08/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, macOS, Web, Windows	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$30/user/mo	$1/user/mo
App coverage	all	—
Unified inbox	No	—
Scheduled sending	Yes	—
Calendar tools	Yes	—

Shortwave vs Zoho Mail

Shortwave

Zoho Mail